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Why Austin and Perry Grabbed Our Hearts

Tragedies happen on a daily basis. The neighbor has cancer, the teenager ran away, the family pet succumbs to old age.

Then there are the shootings, the murders, the terrorist acts around the globe and in our backyards.

But as terrible as all that is, as deeply tragic and equally horrific as some of those acts are, every once in a while a tragedy happens that grips our hearts and our communities.

Austin and Perry.

I say those two names together and we all immediately envision two young teenagers with fishing tackle in their hands and ocean in the background. We see their smiling faces and we remember the weeks of prayer where we begged God for those boys to be found. Leaving Jupiter Inlet one sunny day, they never returned, presumably lost in a terrible microburst of a storm that raged briefly yet mightily that one July afternoon. I can still see the wind as it whipped trees in my backyard that afternoon and I remember looking towards the ocean– hoping fisherman had made it back in before the gale.

Austin and Perry did not.

And my town’s heartbeat stopped.

We gathered to pray. In churches, in schools, in restaurants as we pondered the impending outcome. Some of us fasted. My family and I went to the inlet everyday to pray that week. We hoped and begged and believed and finally had to realize– the happy homecoming would never happen.

The mothers of these two boys held it together and held each other, inspiring all of us nightly on the news that their boys were survivors and they would be found. I don’t know how those mamas did it– but they managed to comfort US in their time of tragedy.

And then there was Blu.

Blu is Austin’s dad. I don’t know Blu personally but he’s related to one of my neighbors and my husband’s youngest sister knows him well (typical small town stuff). Blu is like any other of your local South Florida hometown rough-around-the-edges, salt-of-the-earth but a-heart-of-gold guy that totally epitomizes our local gang of sea loving men. These guys are as true and good as the day is long and if you are ever in a tough spot they help you out, no questions asked. Blu is the kinda guy that makes me absolutely love where I live. Guy Harvey shirts, flip flops and cigarettes. Good guys. Seriously.

Blu was steadfast. He was going to find his boy. Tirelessly– on planes, in boats, searching endless miles of ocean– he could be seen on the nightly news camera only as long as it took to get from one searching airplane to the next. Up the southeastern coast, with the coastguard and after the official search had been abandoned for days Blu was searching privately as people flooded money in to help cover the cost of the extended search. Our community, indeed our country was gripped with the hope of finding Austin and Perry. And I have to ask…in the wake of everyday tragedies…why?

Because all of us have been teenagers. All of us remember the risks we took. Things we did. Times when WE could have easily had an ending like Austin and Perry’s. All of us parents with teenagers remember when our teens could have very well been lost at sea, in a car accident, or name any other number of ways kids can find trouble or accidentally fall into it.

Man.It’s honestly a miracle when they make to adulthood when you think about it.

Today, I’m at the beach with about 30 teenagers. It was storming earlier and now it’s a beautiful sunny afternoon. I look out over that ocean and all I can think of is Austin. Perry. And Blu.

Because Blu, to me, represents the heart of a loving father who never gives up. Searches endlessly. Pursues lovinglyno matter the cost, no matter the reason the kid is in trouble. I can still hear Blu’s voice the week of the search, see his tears as he continued to explain his hope for his boy, how he wasn’t going to give up the search. It was this kind of love that gripped our community and our country in a plight to find and search and bring home and love.

To Blu and the entire Stephanos family, to the Perry family– our prayers are with you. We haven’t forgotten.

Candles burn as night falls at the Jupiter Inlet, where Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen took their small boat out on July 24, 2015. The boys are still missing. A boat parade is planned for Monday at 7p.m from the inlet to the Juno Beach Pier. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)

And to Blu, thank you. Thank you for showing us all what real fatherly love looks like. The kind that always hopes, always believes, always perseveres. You showed many of us the heart of our Heavenly Father with His wayward children. And in honor of Austin and Perry, may we all endeavor to show one another that same love.

Beautfiully said……I continue to think of these two boys who brought so many people around the world to their knees…..praying with everything we had for God to bring them home. It wasn’t his plan and we’ll never know why but I believe a lot of LOVE was spread around the world because of those two beautiful salty souls.

Lyette, this was beautiful. I have become friends with Austin’s family, since this tragedy and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Blu is awesome. I wish EVERY human being, on this planet had his heart. I arrived at Jupiter Inlet at 10 a.m. on the day of Light Up the Night. I spent the entire day talking to friends and family members of both boys. It’s true that this tragedy touched the hearts of HUNDREDS of thousands of people from around the WORLD…..but I was touched and given a calling to do WHATEVER I could do to support these families. I have been welcomed with open arms by Austin’s family and I cherish each moment I have with them. I reached out to the Cohen family; but I guess they grieve in a different way and I don’t hold that against them. I made a plaque with both boys’ pictures on it and attached it to the railing of the Inlet just under the wooden one that was donated. It has become a SHRINE to these boys. I live up in Vero Beach; but each time I would go to Riviera Beach, for radiation treatments, I would get off I95 and go to the inlet. I would just sit there at that little shrine and reflect. I BEGGED God to grant us the miracle of returning both boys to their families; but I guess He had another plan. I have NEVER felt such love for a group of people, that I had never met before this tragedy, like I felt for these people. I’m not sure why God handed this to me; but I welcome and Cherish it with all of my heart. I will NEVER forget the memorial for Austin at the church, the actual meeting of Blu and being able to talk with him at SeaFest and interacting with Carly, Dakoda, Carly’s mother, Mary Ellen and aunt Christine, and so many others connected to this family at the Grand Slam Fishing Tournament. They ALL hold such a special place in my heart. And now; after attending the candle light vigil at the Inlet on 7/24/16 and meeting MORE friends and family, I feel as though I’ve known them my entire life. They will FOREVER hold a special place in my heart. I thank people like you that write these stories about them and open the eyes of people to how we ALL should act toward one another. In a time when there is so much hatred, on this Earth, it was refreshing to experience the love and support that each and every person, who attended the vigil, brought along with them to that Inlet. There are no words that can express my true feelings for all involved in the outpouring of love and support in the last year for Austin and Perry and their families. God Bless ALL.

This is not a yearly memory I wanted to see on my facebook as i shared this link a year ago hurts my heart to read that these young boys are still missing. My continued thoughts and prayers go out to the 2 families and everyone else affected. I truly hope these boys come home where they belong.

What an incredible article! It is amazing how these two boys and such a tragedy of pain has brought so many people together with love and compassion. So many of us never knew Austin and Perry or the families personally, and yet we have an attachment to them and they are in our hearts and prayers. If only the whole world could be moved the same way. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful article with us!

Very well written. I never knew them, my heart hurts for the families always. Losing anyone to the fury of the ocean is tragic, especially a teen whose life was yet to be lived. The hopes, dreams, gone in an instant. I look out at the ocean with different eyes now. If I had but 1 wish, I would give it to Austin & Perry.